African American historical documents online

Do you like the idea of using historical documents with your students but aren't quite sure
what to do with them? Try consulting some of the websites listed at the end of this page to get
resources on the use of primary sources in the classroom.

This Special Presentation of the Library of Congress exhibition,
The African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship, showcases the Library's
incomparable African American collections. Includes a wide array of full-text important and rare
books, government documents, manuscripts, maps, and musical scores.

The collection presents a panoramic and eclectic review of African-American history and culture,
spanning almost one hundred years from the early nineteenth through the early twentieth centuries,
with the bulk of the material published between 1875 and 1900. Among the authors represented are
Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Benjamin W. Arnett, Alexander
Crummel, and Emanuel Love.

Elizabeth Johnson Harris - Life Story, 1867-1923Elizabeth Johnson Harris was born in Augusta, Georgia, in 1867 to parents who had been slaves.
This on-line collection includes full text of her memoirs as well as several of her poems and
vignettes that were published in various newspapers during her lifetime.

Vilet Lester Letter, 1857Although many of the facts of Vilet Lester's life may be elusive, she still gives us a rare and
precious view into slave life through this letter.

Hannah Valentine and Lethe Jackson: Slave Letters 1837-1838 These letters were written by Hannah Valentine and Lethe Jackson to their mistresses and
other slave family members during this time period. The letters provide a rare firsthand glimpse
into the lives of slaves and the relationships they had with their owners.

A digital collection of some 52 published works by 19th-century black women writers. A part of
the Digital Schomburg, this collection provides access to the thought, perspectives and creative
abilities of black women as captured in books and pamphlets published prior to 1920. A full text
database of these 19th and early 20th- century titles, this digital library is
key-word-searchable.

Presents 397 pamphlets from the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, published from 1824
through 1909, by African-American authors and others who wrote about slavery, African colonization,
Emancipation, Reconstruction, and related topics. The materials range from personal accounts and
public orations to organizational reports and legislative speeches.

Lessons from the
National Archives and Records Administration - Primary Sources and Activitieshttp://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/The focus of these lessons is the teaching of social sciences through the use of primary
documents from the holdings of National Archives of the United States. The following lessons are
relevant to the teaching of African American history: